Community Highlights: Meet Leslie Trager-Kahle of Medicare Help Team

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Trager-Kahle.

Hi Leslie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Have you ever wanted to start a story with “Once upon a time, a long time ago” well here is how I started my journey as an independent insurance broker in the Health Insurance industry.

In 2012 my sister got very ill and was uninsured. So, I reached out to an associate to see she could give me a quote for Insurance. The marketplace otherwise known as the ACA, Obama Care was not available yet and the price I received from her was so costly that it shocked me. I asked if there was anything else available, she said “no”. I did some research and realized that my sister could enroll in the high-risk pool with the state at a fraction of the cost. I asked why she did not offer that. There was no response. I found out that if you enroll someone in the high-risk pool there is a nominal commission paid by the state, yet not nearly as much commission if she would have taken the expensive plan. My sister passed away several months later and I suppose that got me thinking. I needed to help people with their insurance needs vowing that I would not deceive people.

After my sister passed away, my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. and once again, I am reaching out to everyone I knew to find out how Medicare and Medicaid work. I had so many questions. How many assets can you have before Medicaid comes into play? What is a spend down? How does the five years look back on assets work? Oh, my goodness I was so overwhelmed. I remember making a flow chart to try to understand it.

In 2013 I was a single Mom with three children struggling to pay my bills and take care of my dad at the same time. It was that year that I received a message notification on my phone” Will you come work for me my name is Ryan, and I am a broker in the Health Insurance field.”

Fast forward in time a couple of months, I decided to take the 2-hour Health and Life State test. I passed with flying colors. I am unsure how that happened since it was hard and with 20 minutes to go I had literally 30% of the questions unanswered. Now with a license in my hand I asked myself, how do I do this what I was thinking. I have no clients. So, with the little savings that I had I made flyers for 5 cents a copy at the local print shop with stock paper, which cost me $18.00. I then made myself hand out 25 fliers a day to random people hoping this would work.

Three months later I got my first client. I was so excited. I would have some extra money. When I finally got my commission check, I saw how minimal it was. At that point, I was so discouraged. Then suddenly my situation changed in a big way. I was offered office space above a bar in old Shawnee that someone offered to pay for. Seriously some random person paid my rent and asked for nothing back in return. The Marketplace was about to launch. I was now Medicare certified and Marketplace certified. I really understood the Marketplace since my background prior to this was in esoteric taxes. Next thing I knew in the following months I had people waiting to see me in my little office, with purple carpet above the bar in old Shawnee. A couple of months later, I was asked to be on a board for the Greater Kansas City Health Underwriters Association it was there that I met some of the best brokers in Kansas City. The following year the President of the Market Place, Kevin Coughlin, select me out of a handful of brokers across the Midwest to discuss what needs to be done to fix the Marketplace so it would be easier to navigate.

You would think I would be making the big money by now. NOT. Much to everyone’s surprise being a health Insurance broker is not the most lucrative of jobs out there. I worked three jobs for the first five years until I had enough income. I remember my clients would make me food and bring it to my home or my office so I could feed my children. Those clients are still with me today and I appreciate them so much. Every time I was ready to pull the plug and quit, another opportunity came about which would help me power through. I have met so many great people and have had two great mentors in this field. I would not be able to go any further in this interview without giving them my humble thanks. Thank you to Kirk Carpenter, who was always there to advise me and guide me. Thank you, as well, to one of the smartest women I know in this industry who understands the laws and regulations in this field better than most, Beverly Gossage who is now the newly elected State Senator of Kansas representing the 9th District.

As I look back ten years, I wonder “what was I thinking?”. I know it was my sister telling me in her own way “go help the people”. I also know that I have a gift of being able to understand and simplify this industry. I have been so blessed that so many wonderful people have entered my life and shared their stories. I am so amazed at the resiliency and passion that people have during their hardships and trials that have occurred in their life. I am so glad I didn’t quit and pull the plug!!!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road was not smooth it was bumpy and that is an understatement. It has been a road where every exit has been closed, with detour signs everywhere. A road where the potholes can swallow you whole. You must find your own way while competing against all the call centers, bait and switch commercials and the large companies that have taken the integrity out of the industry. It took me a while to realize that success and failure come hand in hand when you start a company, and you must have an appetite of a whale to swim with the sharks.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Medicare Help Team?
The Medicare Help Team mission is to stand apart from large companies and phone solicitors through integrity and honesty. My goal was to create a diverse advisory team with local independent advisors who have the upmost integrity and who are wholly client focused. All the brokers are independent, not employees of MHT. They act as an advisory team that is like a think tank. These advisors are the best at what they do and are involved with legislation, the laws, and new policies that frequently change. Although the company is called the Medicare Help team, we also specialize in small groups and healthcare options for the under 65 population.

Our mission is to help and educate people with comprehensive market analysis to find innovative strategies and solution-driven models that control costs and leverage local resources. I like to say, “Our team solves the issues that keep you up all night”.

What’s next?
I am about to launch a corporate education program, hopefully in a few months. Growth is a great thing, yet it cannot come at the cost of the integrity and values that set us apart. Our goal is to grow while maintaining the trust that we have worked so hard to build with our clients!

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected], [email protected]
• Website: www.medicarehelpteam.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/medicarehelp123